A Democratic staff memo discussed how best to gain political advantage from the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into the Bush administration's use of intelligence prior to the war in Iraq. The memo is a sorry example of putting party politics ahead of the national interest.

The memo, which was leaked to Fox News Channel commentator Sean Hannity last week, caused a terrible rift between Democrats and Republicans on the traditionally nonpartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, which has access to the nation's most closely held secrets, and struck a body blow to whatever bipartisan cooperation there was on the Senate floor.

Written by a staff member of the committee's vice chair, Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., the memo talks of the need for Democrats to "pull the (Republican) majority along as far as we can" and then to "pull the trigger" next year on launching an independent investigation into Bush's use of intelligence information. Obviously, an independent investigation that stirred up doubt about the Bush administration would be helpful to next year's Democratic presidential nominee.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., in a floor speech said "those responsible for this memo appear to be more focused on winning the White House than they are on winning the war against terror." Frist said the plan, as outlined in the memo, would "so politicized the Intelligence Committee as to render it incapable of meeting its responsibilities to the United States Senate and to the American people."

The Chronicle has criticized the Bush administration for being too secretive. Yet, how much cooperation can be expected if Democrats are inclined to use information provided to the Intelligence Committee for partisan gain?

Rockefeller says the memo was only a draft and never circulated to other Democrats. In a clumsy attempt to shift blame, Rockefeller wants an investigation into how the memo got leaked.

It is good to see this story leak out even though the Democrat Party and their pliant press is doing their best to suppress it.

However, let's be honest here, the suggested punishment is hardly appropriate. Yes the writer should be fired. However, this bit of treason was done at the behest of Sen. Rockefeller.

He can deflect blame all he wants to his underlings. At best that means he is too imcompetent to hold his current position. He should face, at a minimum, censure and the striping of his vice chairmanship.

Memos of special interest on Hill *** Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have worked in close concert with outside special-interest groups to defeat President Bush's judicial nominees, according to internal Democratic staff memos.

In one memo to Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois obtained by The Washington Times, Washington lawyer Miguel A. Estrada is singled out as "especially dangerous" because "he is Latino." Mr. Estrada, born in Honduras, withdrew his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in September after being filibustered for eight months.

In another memo, staffers for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts recommend that a Bush nominee to the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Tennessee Judge Julia S. Gibbons, be stalled until after that appellate court decided on the two major affirmative action cases dealing with the University of Michigan and its law school.

"The thinking is that the current 6th Circuit will sustain the affirmative action program, but if a new judge with conservative views is confirmed before the case is decided, that new judge will be able, under 6th Circuit rules, to review the case and vote on it," the staffers wrote. The 14 internal documents obtained by The Times  which did not come from a Senate staffer  appear to support some of the more serious accusations made by Republicans during the 39 hours of Senate debate over Democratic filibusters that ended yesterday morning.

Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have long proclaimed their independence from outside interest groups and angrily deny accusations that they considered the race of Mr. Bush's nominees before blocking them.***

He can deflect blame all he wants to his underlings. At best that means he is too imcompetent to hold his current position. He should face, at a minimum, censure and the striping of his vice chairmanship.

Well, the foot soldiers in the LIBERAL media won't report headlines of an "outraged electorate" on a Democrat. This editorial is probably a way to close the chapter and slink away.

There is a solution to this. The majority has the option of kicking a member out of the Senate for treasonous conduct. If the use of intelligence for political purposes is not treasonous, I don't know how low the bar is. This is endangering our national security. The least that should happen is Rockefeller kicked off the committee.

The Chronicle has criticized the Bush administration for being too secretive. Yet, how much cooperation can be expected if Democrats are inclined to use information provided to the Intelligence Committee for partisan gain?

Memo(heh, heh, heh) to Dims, even your partisans draw the line at TREASON!

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